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All About The Benjamins

The subject of homosexuality
in the Bible is known to recent Bible scholars, as well as many lay
people. The following explanation of the shirt and flag with
the pink (fuchsia) stripe for Benjamin, examines the issue of
homosexuality, as it pertains to one particular tribe within Israel,
that is the tribe of Benjamin.

As this shirt and flag
illustrate, Benjamin was the twelfth born son to Jacob, later renamed
Israel. While giving birth, Rachel named her son, Ben-Oni,
translated, “son of my trouble,” and Rachel passed away just after
giving birth to him. Jacob renamed his son Benjamin, meaning
“son of my right hand” (Genesis 35:18). The impact of knowing
that your mother died, while giving birth to you, and naming you “son
of my trouble,” is difficult to discern, but should not be discounted.

Benjamin was the
second son born to Rachel. Though Leah, Rachel’s sister, bore
Jacob six sons, Jacob always preferred and loved Rachel more than Leah
(Genesis 29:30). The first son born to Rachel was Joseph,
Jacob’s eleventh son. Joseph was his father’s favorite
(Genesis 37:3) and was threatened with death by some of his elder
brothers. Joseph was sold by these brothers to a caravan of
Ishmaelites (Arabs) (Genesis 37:28). Seeing that his only
full brother was so hated by his half-brothers, most likely also caused
Benjamin further consternation. While the impact may not have
been felt immediately, his sense of ostracism may have been
internalized and felt by future generations.

After over four
hundred years as slaves in Egypt, the Israelites were freed and soon
settled in their own land. Shortly thereafter, the Book of
Judges, Chapter 19, tells of a Levite and his concubine traveling from
Bethlehem, back to their home in the territory of Ephraim.
The couple stopped in the territory of the Benjaminites, hoping to be
offered a room for the night. Eventually an Ephraimite,
living in the area, offered to take them in. Judges 19:22
states, “While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of
the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they
shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came
to your home so we can have sex with him”.”

Eventually the Levite
offered these men his concubine, whom he had been traveling with, “they
raped her and abused her throughout the night” (Judges
19:25). Judges 19:29 describes how this Levite found her dead
body the next morning, “cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve
parts and sent the parts into all the areas of Israel.“ Civil
war ensued and all the Israelites vowed not to give their daughters to
any Benjaminites (Judges 21:1). Not acknowledged was the
initial homosexual attraction. The suppression of the
homosexual aspect of the initial encounter with the Levite, led to a
three millennia Jewish suppression of homosexuality.

Equally homophobic,
has been Christianity, despite their virtually unanimous rejection of
all things “Jewish”. On this issue though, traditional
Christianity and Judaism have been in agreement, rejecting and forcing
homosexuality deep into the “closet,” hoping and praying it would just
go away.

Further on in history
Saul, a Benjaminite, became King of Israel. Though government
leadership was a role and responsibility intended for the tribe of
Judah, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff
from between his feet” (Genesis 49:10).

When Saul’s son,
Jonathan died in battle, David mourned and lamented his death, “I
grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to
me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that
of women” (2 Samuel 1:26). Recent scholars and lay readers
infer this to mean that a sexual relationship existed between David and
Jonathan. Homophobic, anti-homosexual scholars and lay people
generally reject any notion of a positive Biblical inference to
homosexuality. Any interpretation of homosexuality in the
Bible can only be seen in a negative light by most conservatives.

In the current
aggregation of the New Testament, Paul, a Benjaminite, confronts the
issue of homosexuality. The four Gospels of the New
Testament, make no direct, nor indirect reference to
homosexuality. The New Testament epistles (letters) make
numerous and exclusively negative references to
homosexuality. While Christianity has placed Paul (Saint
Paul) on a pedestal and treat his letters as scripture; a more
discerning look reveals that Paul’s words are often used out of
context. Also Paul’s and some of the other apostles words are
often used to inflame hatreds, which church fathers and mothers have
worked diligently to exploit. Since Paul’s, Peter’s and other letters
are treated as “scripture” and since paganism became and has remained
the foundation of Christianity, homophobia has been the rule.
In preferring pagan feasts and festivals, Christianity has near
unanimously rejected any efforts or attempts to obey the Biblical Law
as expressed in Biblical books two through five (Exodus through
Deuteronomy), except to point fingers and judge others for alleged sin
based upon laws Christianity rejects as obsolete.
Subsequently certain Biblical Laws become valid, such as when
politicians or other men commit adultery, or if a man lies with another
man, for example. This despicable, judgmental, self-righteous
attitude continues today by many of the millions of pagans, calling
themselves “Christians,” making no effort to live by and thereby attain
any true understanding of God’s Law, yet having the audacity to judge
others by select portions of the Biblical Law.

This variation of the
SONS OF JACOB/ISRAEL flag/shirt with a pink stripe on the bottom
representing Israel’s twelfth and final son, Benjamin, is meant to
represent the focus of male homosexuality in the Bible, placed to a
large extent upon the shoulders of this tribe. In reality,
this burden is heavier or lighter depending upon others
attitudes. The traditional judgmental, condemning attitude
leads to a Paul, whose self-loathing is reflected in Romans
7:15 “For that which I do I allow not; for what I would, that do I not:
but what I hate, that do I.” Romans 7:23-24 further explains
Paul’s inner struggle, “But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members. O, wretched man that I
am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? Finally Paul concludes in Romans 7:25 “I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
This is not freedom, the mind warring against the flesh. The
problem then and for centuries before and for centuries since is the
repression and rejection of homosexuality, along with other natural
male sexual outlets and healthy sexual freedoms, particularly within
western, Christian/pagan society.